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Scuba Diver Life

Explore. Dream. Discover. Dive

Where to dive, what to carry, what you are looking at when you get there. Two decades of reporting from the water — and three small-boat trips you can come on.

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Scuba diving photo: bcd tank poolside

BCD Guide: Jacket vs Backplate and Wing

Scuba Diver Life 4 hours ago

Jacket BCD or backplate and wing? Compare lift, trim, comfort, travel weight, adjustability, integrated weights and cost, then learn how to fit one, what to check in the shop, and how to maintain it.

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We like to swim with whales.

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Three animals, three oceans, six guests or fewer in the water. We are a specialist agency, not a catalogue — these three are the whole list, and between them their seasons cover every month of the year.
A sperm whale underwater off DominicaDominica · CaribbeanSperm whalesNovember to May · 7 nights, 6 sea days · 6 guests · from $6,850spermwhaleswims.comA freediver in the water with a pod of orcaLa Ventana · MexicoOrca & mobula raysMay to August · 7 nights, 6 sea days · 5 – 6 guests · from $6,500orcaswimsbaja.comA humpback whale and a snorkeller in Vava'u, TongaVava’u · TongaHumpback whalesMid-July to early November · 7 nights, 5 swim days · 4 or 6 per boat · from $4,250humpbackswims.com
Whales somewhere every month of the year — pick your animal.See all three trips

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Dive locations633Conservation456Film423Training381Marine species352Stories167New to scuba154Wrecks138Photo & technique105

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Every dot is a place we have written about, sized by how much. Thirty-three of them, from fifty-two pieces on Australia down to a handful on Hawaii. Hover a dot for the count, or pick one from the list.Australia · 52Indonesia · 37South Africa · 26Bahamas · 25Mexico · 19Florida · 19California · 19Papua New Guinea · 16Cayman Islands · 15North Carolina · 13Borneo · 11Solomon Islands · 9Thailand · 9Canada · 8Philippines · 8Galápagos · 7Truk Lagoon · 7Bali · 6Bermuda · 6Malta · 6Egypt · 6Myanmar · 6Palau · 5Utila · 5Great Barrier Reef · 5Raja Ampat · 5Azores · 5New Zealand · 5Mozambique · 5Fiji · 5Costa Rica · 5Alaska · 5Hawaii · 4
Australia52Indonesia37South Africa26Bahamas25Mexico19Florida19California19Papua New Guinea16Cayman Islands15North Carolina13Borneo11Solomon Islands9Thailand9Canada8Philippines8Galápagos7Truk Lagoon7Bali6Bermuda6Malta6Egypt6Myanmar6Palau5Utila5Great Barrier Reef5Raja Ampat5Azores5New Zealand5Mozambique5Fiji5Costa Rica5Alaska5Hawaii4

From the archive

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A coelacanthStoriesDiscovering a coelacanth in KwaZulu-NatalA freediver descending on a lineFreedivingShallow water blackoutsA lion's mane jellyfishMarine speciesTop five jellyfish roundupThe pyramids at GizaTravelChasing Egypt’s topside treasuresAn underwater photographerTechniqueFive underwater photo tips for beginnersA 3D-printed terra cotta reef tileConservation3D-printed tiles make artificial reefsDivers over a reef in MalaysiaTrainingThe importance of dive theoryA scuttled wreck on the seabedWrecksArtificial reefs and scuttled wrecks
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